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Folie à Deux
| }} /Credits|Credits}} /Gallery|Gallery}} /Transcript|Transcript}} }} |bottomimage = |bottomdescription = |next =The End |prev =The Pine Bluff Variant |season =5 }} "Folie à Deux" is the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of The X-Files. Synopsis Mulder, along with several other people, is held hostage by an office employee who is convinced that his boss is a monster who has turned several of his co-workers into zombies. When the ordeal ends, Mulder also believes (despite his initial skepticism) that the man was not simply crazy, and that the boss actually is a monster. Summary Gary Lambert works as a vinyl siding telemarketer in Oak Brook, Illinois. On the surface, Gary would seem to be a mild-mannered Everyman. But unbeknownst to his co-workers, Gary is convinced that his boss is an evil monster who preys on his own staff, turning them into the undead. One morning, Skinner summons Mulder and Scully to his office. He explains that the company Gary works for, VinylRight, received an anonymous, audio-taped manifesto, on which a man threatens to commit a violent act. As a result, the company wishes to have the threat investigated. Mulder is puzzled as to why Skinner is sending he and Scully to investigate. Skinner then explains that the maker of the tape spoke of a monster threatening employees. Somewhat irked, Mulder tells Scully he will handle the case alone, labeling himself "Monster Boy." When Mulder arrives at the company, he is greeted by office manager Greg Pincus, who plays him the taped message. Mulder's interest is piqued by a reference to "hiding in the light." He telephones Scully and asks her to investigate previous X-Files cases for such a phrase. Meanwhile, Gary grows concerned when a fellow employee, Nancy Aaronson, is summoned to Greg's office. When Nancy returns to her cubicle, Gary notices that, from his point of view, she appears to be dead. Scully telephones Mulder when she finishes researching the files. It turns out that the phrase "hiding in the light" was also used by a deacon at a Lakeland, Florida church. The deacon was convinced that one of his parishioners was an evil presence. One Sunday, he entered the church for mass and opened fire on his flock. When Mulder returns to VinylRight, he finds a sea of deserted cubicles. Nancy's head peeks out from behind a wall and warns Mulder to take cover. Before he has time to react, Gary approaches--armed with an AK-47. Mulder slowly raises his hands into the air. Scully flies to Illinois and joins FBI and SWAT team members who have surrounded the building. Inside, Gary uses his co-workers to form a human barricade. A SWAT team commander overrules Scully and dials Mulder's cell phone. Gary opens Mulder's jacket... and spots his gun. Gary grabs it and pistol whips Mulder in the face, knocking him to the ground. A hostage then charges Gary, but he swivels and opens fire, killing the man. Gary then speaks with an FBI agent, and demands that a television crew be sent into the building so he can broadcast his fears to the public. Using a closed-circuit system, the FBI fools Gary into thinking his image is being broadcast throughout the city. Addressing the camera, Gary raises his gun and points it at Greg. He instructs everyone to look at Greg... to look at "it." Mulder glances over his shoulder... and sees a monster where Pincus was standing. Suddenly, an Armored Personnel Carrier bursts through a wall. A SWAT team member opens fire, striking Gary. Mulder cannot dismiss what he saw inside the office complex. After performing additional research, Mulder determines that five previous X-Files cases involve monster that went unnoticed by all except the claimant. Scully reacts with incredulity when Mulder suggests that Gary was not insane, but actually saw the creature he described. Scully attributes Mulder's behavior to "folie a deux," a madness shared by people under tense conditions. Meanwhile, Mulder follows Greg Pincus to the home of Gretchen Starns, one of his employees. As Mulder stands outside of the house, and gazes through a window, he sees the monster advance behind Gretchen, its insect-like mouth aiming for the back of her neck. The woman suddenly screams, prompting Mulder to shatter the window glass. The monster defies gravity by crawling over the house. Gretchen lodges a complaint with the FBI, accusing Mulder of breaking into her home. During a meeting with Skinner, Mulder sees Pincus, in the form of the monster, advancing. Mulder draws his firearm, but Skinner, believing Mulder has lost his mind, gains the upper hand. Mulder is then admitted to a mental institution. Later, at Mulder's prompting, Scully examines the back of the dead hostage's neck. There she discovers tiny puncture marks. At the hospital, a restrained Mulder listens in horror as the monster approaches the window to his room. Mulder calls for the nurse... only to realize that she is one of the monster's minions. Scully visits the hospital... and experiences a vision of the nurse as one of the living dead. She races to Mulder's room, where she discovers the creature crawling on the ceiling. She opens fire, but the creature escapes. Later, Scully meets with Skinner. She voices her belief that Mulder is of sound mind. She notes that an unidentified toxin was found in the dead hostage, and notes that Pincus has disappeared, along with the nurse and several VinylRight employees. After recovering from his ordeal, Mulder returns to work. Scully informs him she told Skinner the truth: the incident can only be explained as a "folie a deux." In another VinylRight office, a man starts seeing the monster as well, acting like Gary Lambert did. He is heard whispering "It's here" to someone on the phone indicating he sees it, and the screen fades to black. References Chicago; Illinois; Washington, D.C. Background Information Production *The title of this episode, Folie à Deux, is French for "a madness shared by two." It is a recognized psychological condition and is most often encountered in relationships that are preternaturally intimate. This syndrome is most commonly diagnosed when two people live in close proximity and may be socially or physically isolated, having scarce interaction with other people. *The monster suit on-set wasn't scary at all. Some serious post-production work had to be done to up the scare-level of the monster and avoid the episode becoming a comedy. *Mulder's fingers, which were injured in the previous episode, The Pine Bluff Variant, are still bandaged in this episode. Notes *Brian Markinson, who plays Gary Lambert, also plays another character in The X-Files, Tony Fiore in "Born Again". *The agent in charge of the hostage situation, Agent Rice, is named for writer Vince Gilligan's girlfriend, Holly Rice. *When Scully calls Mulder to tell him about the X-File involving "hiding in the light", she says that the case was from August 9th, 1992. August 9th is also Gillian Anderson's birthday. *Mulder mentions he is not suffering from "Helsinki syndrome" as a common joke on the actual condition called Stockholm syndrome (Helsinki is the capital of Finland, and lies east of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden - the joke is a reference to Die Hard where the name was mixed up). Cast and Characters *Brian Markinson (Gary Lambert) previously played Tony Fiore in The X-Files episode "Born Again" and Detective Teeple in several Millennium episodes. *Roger R. Cross (Field Agent) previously played Private Kittell in The X-Files episode "Fresh Bones", S.W.A.T. Lieutenant Brophy in "Pusher" and Shaw in the Millennium episode "Wide Open". *Dmitry Chepovetsky (Supervisor) previously played Lieutenant Richard Harper in The X-Files episode "Død Kalm" and Government Man #1 in "Apocrypha". *Brenda McDonald (Mrs. Loach) previously played Auntie Janet in The X-Files episode "Terma" and Mrs. Steinberg in the Millennium episode "Paper Dove". *Tim Bissett (Medical Assistant) previously played Melchior in the Millennium episode "Midnight of the Century". *Norma Wick (Newscaster) previously played Reporter in The X-Files episode "Space" and Reporter in "War of the Coprophages". *Steve Bacic (SWAT Commander) previously played 2nd Officer in The X-Files episode "Soft Light", Agent Will Collins in "Pusher" and Deputy Kevin Reilly in the Millennium episode "Covenant". *Nancy Kerr (Nurse) previously played Personnel Chief Dana Flender in the Millennium episode "Walkabout" and Agent Hedin in The X-Files episode "Gethsemane". Cast Starring *David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder *Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully Also Starring *Mitch Pileggi as Assistant Director Walter Skinner Guest Starring *Brian Markinson as Gary Lambert *John Apicella as Greg Pincus *Roger R. Cross as Field Agent *Cynthia Preston as Nancy Aaronson Co-Starring *Leslie Jones as Gretchen Starns Featuring *Dmitry Chepovetsky as Supervisor *Brenda McDonald as Mrs. Loach *Robert Luft as Telemarketer *Tim Bissett as Medical Assistant *Norma Wick as Newscaster *Grant Gladish as Cameraman *Steve Bacic as SWAT Commander *Nancy Kerr as Nurse External Links * * * =Episode Navigation= Category:TXF episodes Category:Paranormal phenomena Category:TXF Season 5 episodes Category:Monster of the Week episodes